Dakota Johnson Addresses ‘Madame Web’ Flop Reactions
As many fans suspected, the Madame Web cast isn’t too happy about the film they put out, either. The comic book film’s lead, Dakota Johnson, has admitted in a new…

Dakota Johnson looks on during the red carpet for the movie “Madame Web” at Cinemex Antara Polanco on February 13, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesAs many fans suspected, the Madame Web cast isn't too happy about the film they put out, either.
The comic book film's lead, Dakota Johnson, has admitted in a new Bustle feature that she will probably "never do anything like it again." She told the publication on Tuesday (March 5) that "it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie."
The Webs We Weave
The Suspiria actress admits that in this industry, signing on to something is one thing, and making it is another. In hindsight, Johnson, 34, realizes that now.
"You're like, 'Wait, what?'" Despite the bad reviews on the latest MCU film flop, the Texas native, whose parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, says that it was a real learning experience. She adds, "Of course, it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand."
In the streaming age, Johnson notes how it freaks her out how hard it has gotten for a movie to get made -- big and small. The actress, who made her film debut at ten years old alongside her mother in 1999's Crazy in Alabama, states: "Decisions are being made by committees."
Art based on numbers and algorithms is a setup for failure, as Johnson says the audiences are intelligent and prefer films made by a filmmaker and their team of artists. Johnson calls out studio executives for believing their audiences are that simple and will accept cheap AI replacements. However, she says, "Audiences will always be able to sniff out bulls---."
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Johnson joked about the headlines that would even come from her interview but quickly defended her opinions to be "just talking." Another one of her co-stars made a few jokes about the film reactions recently. Sydney Sweeney, who plays Julia Carpenter, quipped in her recent Saturday Night Live monologue: "You have seen me in Anyone But You or Euphoria. You definitely did not see me in Madame Web."
Per Marvel, Madame Web possesses psychic abilities, including telepathy, clairvoyance, and prescience. She can also perform astral projection and appear to others in spirit form. She is cybernetically linked to a spider web-like support system to attend to her bodily needs. However, the film flopped just like other Sony-produced films like Morbius and Venom, ranking just 12% on Rotten Tomatoes and 3.7/10 on IMDb.
For some actors, signing on to projects and immersing themselves in their characters is enough for them, When the shoot is over, they move on to the next project. So, they don't feel the need to watch their own work. After months of filming for a movie or television series, the thought of watching themselves on screen isn't of interest. Actors have many reasons as to why they don't revisit their work.
Actors: They're Just Like Us
For one, reliving a fictional character's mentality and feelings is better left behind when it comes to more straining roles, especially when it comes to method actors. As humans, we tend to be our biggest critics, so nitpicking every perceived mistake in the final cut of a project could be too much for an actor to actually enjoy watching. Actors may come off as vain, but even they are not immune to insecurities that fans adore, like their faces and voices.
Sometimes, actors clash on set with other actors, directors, or the crew, and this can lead to a sour experience overall. Reliving a bad experience through watching the finished product may be something the actors might not want to relive. Production of films and television shows seems to be never-ending, with projects being filmed and released back to back. For some actors, they have just finished a role and jump right into another one without any breaks. There are even times when an actor has signed on for projects that overlap, splitting their time between sets, simultaneously switching between multiple characters. With critics and audiences alike throwing in their two cents about everything after the release, that adds to the self-consciousness actors face. There are so many reasons why actors refuse to watch their work. Below, we find out why these award-winning stars don't watch their own work:
Cillian Murphy

While the 'Oppenheimer' star has 61 acting credits, he hasn’t seen most of his films. The films Murphy usually avoids watching are the ones he hears “are not good," using his 2005 film 'Red Eye' as an example. In a previous interview with 'Uproxx' in 2021, Murphy’s feelings about watching his previous work were much harsher. “I hated watching myself,” he said. “I hated looking at myself on screen.” The Irish actor admitted he used to harshly judge his work and has since become less hypercritical.
Nicole Kidman

The 'Big Little Lies' alum says she typically avoids watching her own performances for fear of being overly critical of herself. Despite being an award-winning actress and THE face of AMC Theatres, Kidman prefers to let her characters live on only in her memory. The only time she watched her own films was because of her unparalleled appreciation for director Baz Luhrmann, who told her to watch 'Moulin Rouge!' and 'Australia.'
Johnny Depp

The 'Edward Scissorhands' alum is probably the most famous actor to state that he doesn't watch his own movies. Partly for the insecurity of watching oneself on screen, Depp prefers the experience. of immersing himself in a character rather than watching it on screen afterward. He stated, "Once my job is done on the film, It’s really none of my business. I stay as far away. If I can, I’d try to stay in as profound a state of ignorance as possible."
Reese Witherspoon

The 'Sweet Home Alabama' star's illustrious film and television career is something the actress has never had the pleasure of experiencing. Witherspoon never watches her own movies because for her, acting is a creative moment that remains with her until she is done with the project. She has even said that she has an “absolute amnesia about every movie” and if she watched them, she would “would spiral into a state of self-hate.” By avoiding watching her work, Witherspoon keeps her confidence as an actor intact.
Jared Leto

The 'Requiem of a Dream' star and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman claims that he hasn’t watched himself on screen in over 20 years! As an Oscar winner, it may seem like a surprise that Leto hasn't watched his own films, but he admitted in a 2021 interview just that. Leto doesn't watch his films because he believes he would think of all the ways he could have done better. He takes on method acting, fully engulfing himself into each character for the duration of filming. When the filming ends, Leto prefers to leave that part of himself on the set. The last film he watched of his in its entirety was 2000's 'Requiem of a Dream,' only because director Darren Aronofsky made him watch it.
Javier Bardem

The 'No Country For Old Men' star has never seen his characters on screen. In an interview with 'GQ' back in 2012, Bardem expressed just how much he loathes watching himself. He told the publication, "The fact that I like to make characters doesn't mean that I like to watch my characters being made." He admitted of his 'No Country For Old Men' character that he "can't even watch that f---ing nose, that f---ing voice, those ridiculous eyes. I can't handle that." However, when he's in the moment and acting, he doesn't think about those insecurities because he feels something stronger and bigger than that in his creative process. So much so, that the Spanish actor has that need to express it.